"According to the intelligence, Serenity is being held inside this fortress."
After deciding to rescue her, Mash, Ritsuka, Arash, and the Hassans used the cover of night to arrive at one of the fortresses occupied by the Knights of the Round Table. The Lion King's territory in this Singularity was not limited to a single holy city; several fortresses surrounded it.
"Something's wrong. At this hour, they're still on high alert."
The Hassan sent to scout soon returned, but he brought bad news. They had chosen this time for the rescue because most of the guards should have been resting, yet the security was even tighter than expected.
"Something may have happened. We need to find out why."
After a brief discussion, they decided that Hassan of the Cursed Arm would infiltrate the castle and investigate. In this Singularity, not only had all the Knights of the Round Table appeared, but nearly all the Hassans, the group of Assassins, had appeared as well. However, many Hassans had died at the hands of the Knights of the Round Table during their battles.
When Mash's group had previously encountered Tristan slaughtering civilians, Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke had been killed by him. There were now only two Hassans present: Hassan of the Cursed Arm and Hassan of the Hundred Personas.
Serenity, whom they were rescuing this time, was also one of the Hassans—and an especially unique one among them. That was why they wanted to save her. If it had been another Hassan, there might not have been a rescue operation at all.
It was not that the Hassans lacked feelings for one another. Rather, they understood that attempting a rescue could lead to even greater sacrifices. Every Hassan was prepared to die; Serenity had to be rescued because her abilities were